Sandra Cantu Laid To Rest
Tracy, CA- This morning, Family and Friends of murdered 8 year old, Sandra Cantu, gathered for a private funeral service.
An invitation only funeral procession, and memorial service for Sandra’s family, classmates, and select Tracy Police Department Officials was held today at Fry Memorial Chapel. There were approximately 1000 in attendance.
Sandra’s aunt, Angie Chavez, read a poem written by the bubbly, doe-eyed princess we all saw for the last time skipping down her street. Sandra’s classmates were then invited to say goodbye to her at her casket.
The funeral proceeded to Sandra’s final resting place, The Tracy Mausoleum.
Tomorrow afternoon, a public memorial which is expected to draw thousands, will be held in Sandra’s honor. The public service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at the West High School gym, 1775 W. Lowell Ave. While the facilities will accomodate almost 8000 guests, there is only parking for 500. Several shuttles have been contracted for the event and is expected to stave off the parking issue.
The Editor, Readers, and staff of Blink on Crime wish to offer our prayers and condolences to Sandra’s friends and family.
AND, to us. We never got the opportunity to meet this special young lady; but we love her and seek justice on her behalf regardless.
Related Posts
Related Posts:
66 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Rest in Peace, Beautiful Child of God. We will never forget you.
Amen, Blink, Amen.
[...] More details and video at Blink on Crime. Share This [...]
God bless her, and her family.
OMGosh! That looks like Leonard with the reins! Is it?
God bless this little girl and her family.
Praying with everyone else on this sorrowful day.
Another angel is laid to rest.
Lol I said exactly the same thing when I saw it.. No, not Leonard.
B
Rest in Peace you sweet beautiful child…….God is with you. Prayers to the family stay strong….
God bless and protect little Sandra Cantu in Heaven, as she was not protected here. Lord, I pray for your help to bring her killer or killers to justice. May they suffer Eternal damnation for their wretched sins. Blessed Father, I pray for you to change the ways of those who prey upon our most innocent children. God in Heaven, hear our prayers. Help us to end this evil. Amen.
[...] Read the rest at Blink on Crime: Share This [...]
I’m curious if LE is grilling Mrs. Lawless to find out what she knew before the arrest. Might there be an obstruction of justice charge in the works if she knew something? All related to her ‘abuse’ quote of course.
God be with the Cantu family. They have a long road ahead of them and are in need of prayers and support. They didn’t just lose their precious angelic child- they have endured what no parent should ever have to. May we all keep them in our thoughts and prayers and pray that justice prevails.
P.S. Of course it was LP- there were cameras
Is anyone else struggling with whether or not to watch the memorial? I want to, because I have followed this case from the beginning and I too feel like I knew Sandra, but I know it’s going to be heartwrenching and I’m just not sure I can take it.
For anyone who may be interested, local news is providing live streaming of the services being held today. I’m linking to the main page because when I went to get the link, I saw an amber alert at the top for the Bay Area that I wanted to pass on here. Dear God, will this ever end?
http://www.kcra.com/index.html
May God bless Sandra and her Family and Friends, and bring comfort in thsee, the darkest of days.
My heart goes out to you all…
Jaelin…for me, my desire to watch, in order to learn more about Sandra and honor her short life, is conflicted with the thought of the emotional pain that will surely be awaiting me…
But honoring Sandra wins out…
Sandra Cantu, Memory Eternal.
The Cantu family’s pain will be prolonged long after the memorials are over. The void where Sandra was will always be empty; the criminal justice system will move far too slowly, with new details coming to light along the way that will open the emotional scab over and over again. Right now there’s a flurry of activity, sympathy and attention. But it too will be over one day. The cameras will be gone, the perpetrator(s) punished, the community will move on to the next headline, and things will quiet down. The Cantu family has already said they will move away from Orchard Estates. But, wherever they go, Sandra won’t be there either.
Well said Paladine/Lighttheway.
Rest in Peace Sandra
Nothing in GOD’S world happens without a reason! Sandra is in a better place, she is with the LORD. HE had to call her home before her time in order to stop this horrible woman from harming any more children. GOD BLESS!
i just watched her memorial on tv… it was so hard to watch.
r.i.p. little sandra <3
May God be with the Cantu family and friends. May He remain with them in their hour of need knowing that, in Him, lies true peace and security.
For those who felt too tender to watch, the public memorial was an extraordinary celebration of a young life. It restored my flagging faith in the police and made me realize how terrible a failure can be for them. The small town in California made me proud of the small towns all across America who come together in joy or pain and show the world how our human race is supposed to be. I have had this computer for only a short time and I am amazed at how it has brought me back into feeling a part of the community of the world.
The incident…unspeakable; the healing process…unbearable; I can only hope this family receives the tools they will need to get through these times. I pray they will have the strength in the upcoming months and years, as this will be a most difficult journey for them. My prayers are with their family and friends. What a senseless and horrific crime!
I hope this family is able to find a way very soon to remember Sandra, not with sorrow, but with joy in their hearts and a spirit of celebration for the eight years they were blessed to be able to spend with her. I reckon she will help guide them on their journey now, as they helped guide her on hers. She lighted their lives, now she lights their path and will surely find a way to help ease their pain.
It was hard, and I sobbed the whole time. And I hugged my babies even tighter when it was done.
I just want to say that the Cantu family has shown so much dignity and class, I just pray if I ever had to go through something this tragic I could be as strong as them. JMO, another family I will not name could take notes. God be with them in their time of sorrow and pain.
FYI: On the Amber alert, dad abducted her and the swat team tracked him down and got her out safely. She is well and home with mom.
Good Morning America had an interview with MH’s ex husband this morning. It’s probably on their website for those of you who missed it.
Thanks Lucky for the tip – here’s the link to MH ex’s interview: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7356264&page=1
Well, I just read that Melissa’s public defender has requested the body of Sandra Cantu be exhumed….
CNN is reporting right now that the Ditchpig defense is going to have Sandra’s body exhumed for a second autopsy. They make it sound as if it is Ditchpig’s right to victimize this baby in death as she did in life. They are saying a court will grant this right to her. Not if I was the judge. Ditchpig’s rights end where other people’s rights begin. She has the right to nothing but a fair trial. She can recieve that, based on evidence, without violating this baby again.
Well, I sincerely hope that is just someone’s opinions and nothing more. May I remind all that the Full autopsy on this baby has not even been concluded yet, the pathology is outstanding, so how would they even have grounds for such a motion? He was representing her (the office was anyway) the moment she was incarcerated and the planned interrment was public information so I would argue he had since chance, and since there has been no discovery yet, there may be plenty sample tissue, etc for their own testing. I think exhuming this child will set this community over the edge with this, truly.
Ditchpig- so appropos, Red
B
Ditchpig?
LAUGH out LOUD!
Go get ‘em, Red!!!
I believe the fellow mentioned in the GMA story this morning, her ex-boyfriend, has a rap sheet a mile long! MH had a restraining order on him. Did anyone catch what she wrote – was it that he wanted to kill her? His name is Josh Palmer and a frequent name in the crime section of the Tracy Press.
Unfortunately, the new Tracy Press website doesn’t have a site search engine than I can see – otherwise I’m sure we could bring up some info on him.
The local scuttlebut is this guy is a reputed drug addict. The company she keeps .
Another unconfirmed rumor I heard today from someone who lives in the trailer park is that the little girl MH allegedly drugged before was Christian Sinclair’s daughter. Perhaps this has already been mentioned on other threads.
I am disraught that they may exhume this precious angel.
here is a link for some court document on ms huckby
http://llnw.static.cbslocal.com/station/kovr/docs/2009/4/cantu%20body%20exhumation%20request.pdf
Its likely this is a shot over the bow to the DA to prepare for a real fight over the sexual abuse charges; either to show their real intentions, or step away from the grandstand. Further, the motion is consistent with her reported claim that it was an accident.
In the likelyhood the motion is dismissed, an appeal, based on the defenses inability to examine the evidence thoroughly, is already in place.
im regards to #32 exhumation i wish they wouls let this baby rest in peace why wait till she is buried, then they want to dig her up makes no sense pay attention where he says released the information to public and media would make it impossible for her to get a fair trial. i guess she only one ever charge with murder
I read on sfgate.com (also) that the defense is requesting to exhume the body immediately for a 2nd autopsy….WHY THE F*CK DIDN’T THEY DECIDE THEY NEEDED THIS BEFORE THEY LAID HER TO REST??
This really angers me. It is disgusting and torments the family even more, just the request. I hope the judge does not allow this, on principle that they need to use their brains and think about these things *before* they gave the family an opportunity to grieve during a private burial….what is wrong with these people? I don’t know how anyone representing her can honestly sleep at night with a family. Give me a freaking break
Blink- do you have a tip line where private/confidential
information can be sent to you? I would like to talk with you in confidence. If I may, please advise how I can do that. Thanks!!
Is the email on your addy your prefrence?
Ooooohhhhhh, I’m fuming! I just came in from work, ran to the puter to let you know about the same thing KellyBear just did. The unmitigated gall!!!! Her family laid her to rest 2 days ago, attended the public memorial yesterday and today THIS???? This would be a pivotal day where the family comes down from all the burial planning and services and the reality of life without Sandra begins to creep in. This is far more than salt in a wound, this is as inhumane a thing as I have ever heard. The already suffering Cantus continue to be tortured, disgusting.
If there is some discrepancy between the Coroner’s autopsy report and statements MH has given to her attorney leading them to want an independent examination, they could have and should have been addressed long before now. This lawyer was appointed Tuesday at the arraignment, it should have been requested then. Yes, it would have delayed Sandra’s burial but that’s somehow not as bad as making the family bury the same daughter twice.
MH has likely earned herself a special place in hell, now it seems her defense cousel may have earned one of her own.
“Ms. Huckaby” just doesn’t sound right to me. It should me “Monster Huckaby” because that evil b**** isn’t a “Ms.”
We just went full circle around one of her friends. I wonder why there isn’t an arrest, yet? Maybe someone should check some records in Denver. People like Ditchpig socialize in small circles.
Nancy Grace dropped a bomb and me?
I’m speechless…
P.S.
Good Luck!
P.S.S.
Could we be lucky enough to stumble upon the murderers of Jon Benet?
P.P.S.S.
Boulder’s not that far from Cheyenne.
Merry Christmas!
.
God, please, let it be…
The name “ditchpig” reminds me of a term my husband uses to refer to women of the same caliber as MH, and that is “gutter trout”
As much as I like moniker DitchPig, isn’t Sewer Sow a bit more appropriate?
My Time’s probably having a Great Time…
Me?
I called the Boulder Police.
Nite…
Don’t forget this:
# Patti on July 12th, 2008 1:07 pm
They need to look for someone called ‘Lou’
Either Louis Palmer or Parker Lewis.
.
Too bad I didn’t do more.
I was, too, busy defending myself.
And then, the hit on Denver to find out
the next day he lived in Cheyenne, 100
miles away?
Come on, Monkeys… get justice!
I agree that it is despicable and reprehensible and unspeakable, anathema, that the defense waited until this child was buried to ask for a second autopsy. I think that they did that because they know that the family will be traumatized, and that, based on the trauma to the family, the request may be denied. I think they want the request denied, so that they can have an argument to overturn a conviction, or get a new trial once she is found guilty. It is a win-win for the defense, because if they get to exhume her body, they will use whatever means possible to get an expert to say that there was no trauma consistent with sexual assault, and if they dont get to exhume her body then they get to say they didnt have access to evidence (Sandra’s body), which impeded MH’s right to defend herself. They, of course, want to get rid of the special circumstance, because it allows the possibility of the death penalty.
I hate these people. The GD defense atty… that office should have asked to keep her body for a second autopsy before she was laid to rest. They know this is outrageous. And I am outraged by it.
The news reports, yesterday, said (concerning the exhumation) said it was because they were disputing the rape charges. Oh dear God, PLEASE dont let them do this to that poor child and family!
Attorneys weighing in on the matter say they most likely WONT, but then, as stated by someone else, the defense will use that against the case. This case REALLY makes me sick to my stomach. My heart breaks for this little girl and her family.